the braid boy diaries

On our braid boy diaries Season One Finale, ANTWIGADEE hosts our show to Interview show-creator, Matty, for a candid interview about his life & hair journey to date. We learn about his challenges as a home and business owner, what inspired the creation of the braid boy diaries, his curls, and why Matty's been telling the world he's pregnant. Open Letter, 0:02 Show Intro & Annouceme...

Diary, No. 14 is all about Rondell Bob, DPT & his confidence. Matty talks to Rondell about his life as an openly gay man who's embraced his balding process throughout his young adult years. We also tap into Rondell's sense of self-assurance and talk about the importance to self-care and authentic relationships as we dissect his views on black masculinity. Watch the full episode on Youtube &amp...

Diary, no. 13 swings us back to the West Coast to talk to Taylor Nevels, Teacher's Assistant, Entrepreneur and Musician. Matty catches up with Taylor about his recent experiences working in education, what it’s like to show up for young students of color today, and how the experience is different from attending Howard University. We dissect manhood and fatherhppd as we get an in-depth look into Ta...

On an episode full of laughs, Matty Draughter catches up with Quincy Jay, Personal Trainer & Influencer, for an in-depth conversation on growing up Bi-Racial & Gay, what relationships with Barbers can look like for Queer men of color, and the importance of self-identification. We also dig into his Influencer career &  family, as he explains how he learned to find self-confidence;...

Diary, No. 11 (:Eleven), is all about hair. In an in depth interview with hair stylist, Karlito Payton, we joce about hair from the technician's perspective. We see how Karl's life growing up in the salon shaped his passion for hair & self care; how his 11 years in the industry helps him navigate working with major clients like Harper's Bazaar & HBO, and breakdown the social confines of im...

Diary no. 10 is all about "Keeping That Same ENERGY." We joce with long time friend, frat brother, and DJ, ANTWIGADEE about his DJ career, ties to New Orleans, and creating space for people through musical experiences. We also get into his hair journey, how life has influenced his views on style, and the essence of blackness through a deep conversation about music. ANTWIGADEE also shares a snippet...

Diary, no. 9 is all about community. We sit down with Kamelle Mills, Fitness Influencer & LGBTQ+ Advocate, to talk about confidence through hair exploration, the importance of chosen family, RENAISSANCE, & Black Love. Kamelle is currently the founder of PROFOUNDations, a non-profit for LGBTQ+ POC, and ENBEYES, a new Production company. Listen to our kiki and see how my gay muva's knowledge has ins...

Diary, no.8 is straight outta the archives with Juanthousand. For this episode, Keijuan Jacobs joins us for a conversation about #manhood and the creative process of his #music. We walk through Keijuan’s life, from his journey through Louisiana to his musical projects, where he drops knowledge on how his hair journey has impacted his life and influence as a man and father.. Visit heydraughter.com/...

Diary, no.7 is special because it's out of our archives from the past. For this episode, Aha Gazelle joins us for a conversation about maturity. Hear his story about how he came up through Louisiana & how his hair has impacted his life and influenced his career. He also drops some knowledge on adulting, his latest projects and maturity. Visit heydraughter.com/the-diaries to see Aha's full diary.

For diary, no. 6, we chop it up with Benjamin C. Fields, financial services professional, business manager, business manager to Aha Gazelle, and my frat brother. We dig into Ben's roots as a PK, discover his process of going bald in college, how he's found confidence over the years, and  hispersonal and spiritual growth as a man. Ben's convo brings us back full circle from college days to tod...

After a much-needed self-care hiatus, we are back and better than ever. Episode 5 and the next few episodes are going to be all about brothers. Literally. For this diary, we open up with Matthew Draughter's younger brother, Joshua Green. Josh is currently a junior at Xavier University New Orleans studying computer science with a second internship at Microsoft underway. Sit in on our joce where we...

Diary, no. 4 is all about Drexston Redway, Visual Designer at Square. During our episode, we catch up with Drex about growing up Jamaican-American, haircare as a form of self-care, and mostly what it's like to be the last Black man in San Francisco. We'll also dig into why I decided to dye my hair blue in the middle of Season 1. To explore Drex's portraits & additional content, visit heydraugh...

After a mid-season hiatus, we're back for our third episode. diary, no. 3 is all about Tremayne Stewart, a longtime friend and VP of Product Architecture at Hio Social. We get deep into Tre's roots from Jamaica to New York, dissect trauma hustles & family, all while getting to the root of being a nomad in this day and age with hair. And ultimately, Tre's convo brings us back full circle as we thin...

Episode 2 is here. We’re talking about the tea from the past & spiritual awakenings through hair. From church to the barbershop, to taking chances with musician & lyricist Sam Loid. We unpack his understanding of manhood, blackness, and his trials and tribulations that have led him to his rebirth. Listen to Sam’s story about his hair starting from a youngin' in New Orleans to a full-blown...

For our series premiere, host, Matthew Draughter is catching up with one of his closest friends that inspired his hair journey, Quentin Cola. Quentin, a Musician, Producer & Hardware Engineer shares his story through his experience of growing out and locking his hair over the years in New Orleans, D.C., & Portland. We also get some insight as to why Matthew started the braid boy diaries period. Ma...

Did you think your crown ever had a story? The "braid boy diaries" podcast & visual diary welcomes you to hear meaningful conversations with black male barbers, musicians, actors, educators, hairstylists, tech developers, lawyers & doctors about our crowns. Through bi-monthly discussions with host- writer & producer, Matthew Draughter, we'll reshape masculinity & redefine blackness through the len...